Ratings Roundup: 'Fame Academy' draws 6.5m

A new series of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy made a promising ratings start last night (Saturday), early figures show.

The programme, which featured Jenny Eclair, Kim Medcalfe and Nick Knowles among its celebrity 'students,' averaged 5.65 million (27.5%) between 6.15pm and 7.35pm. The results show, which spelt curtains for comedian Al Murray, fared better still with 6.53 million (28.3%).

The night's top performer was Casualty, which had 8.76 million (38.1%) from 8.10pm. A strong lineup from BBC One overall pushed ITV1's ratings banker Saturday Night Takeaway down to 7.35 million (33.5%) and second place.

Said strong lineup also included Eamonn Holmes' National Lottery: Jet Set, which averaged 6.16 million (27.7%), and all-star standup event Comic Aid with 6.13 million (28.2%).

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? kept steady for ITV1 with 6.13 million (26.6%) at 8.15pm but its Strictly Come Dancing imitation, Strictly Classroom, could only muster 4.19 million (19.3%) in the following hour.

Over on Five, a new episode of CSI: New York intrigued 2.86 million (12.8%) at 9pm, with 2.14 million (10.6%) sticking around for a new Law and Order: Criminal Intent immediately afterwards.

Channel 4's Saturday night movie premiere Spy Game managed a respectable 2.4 million (11.9%) from 9pm.

Multichannel's top performer was coverage of Manchester United vs Portsmouth, which averaged 1.12 million (8.7%) for Sky Sports 1 between 5pm and 8pm.

ITV2's Schwarzenegger movie True Lies managed 415,000 (3.4%) from 9.15pm, while BBC Three's extra coverage of Comic Relief Does Fame Academy pulled in 336,000 (2.2%) at 7.15pm.

Elsewhere, the premiere of Seabiscuit brought in 205,000 (1.4%) to Sky Movies 1, with an extra 194,000 (1.4%) one hour later on Sky Movies 3.

Ratings data supplied by ViewingFigures.com